St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Darwen
| Type | Primary / Voluntary aided school |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Limes Avenue Darwen Lancashire BB3 2SG |
| Phone | 01254706264 |
| Reference Number | 119667 |
St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Darwen has effectively maintained the standards set at its previous inspection. The school creates a nurturing environment where pupils feel happy and safe, and staff are committed to their well-being. While the curriculum has been significantly improved with high aspirations for all pupils, recent Year 6 assessment results do not reflect these advancements, indicating some ongoing challenges in aligning assessment outcomes with expected educational progress.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 161 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 55.28%
Girls: 44.72% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 14.9% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 1.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 23.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 20.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 26 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| 2 | 16 | 14 | 30 |
| 3 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| 4 | 14 | 13 | 27 |
| 5 | 14 | 15 | 29 |
| 6 | 13 | 9 | 22 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 91.3% |
| Irish | 2.5% |
| White & Asian | 1.9% |
| Unclassified | 1.2% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.2% |
| White, Other | 0.6% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.6% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 14 Jan 2025 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2025 | School inspection |
| 09 Jan 2020 | School inspection |
| 07 Oct 2015 | Full inspection: |
| 21 Nov 2013 | Monitoring visit |
| 10 Sep 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 12 Oct 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 23 Jun 2009 | Full inspection: |
| 31 Jan 2006 | Full inspection: |
| 08 May 2000 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Pupils feel happy and safe in their learning environment.
- The school has a strong, ambitious curriculum that promotes knowledge retention.
- Effective phonics and early reading programs support children in becoming proficient readers.
- Pupils are respectful, well-behaved, and develop strong relationships.
- Excellent support is provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers do not check pupils' learning effectively, leading to missed opportunities to address misconceptions.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 70% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 4% |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 110 | ||
| Maths | 105 |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -2.7 | ||
| Writing | 0.1 | ||
| Maths | -2 |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 18 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 15 | 1 |
| From another Local Authority | 2 | 2 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
Holy Trinity VC School
Bank Top, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2RW |
0.39 miles |
|
Turncroft Nursery School
Highfield Road, Darwen, BB3 2DN |
0.52 miles |
|
Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School
Turncroft Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2BW |
0.55 miles |
|
Ashleigh Primary School
Ross Street, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2JT |
0.58 miles |
|
Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary
Ellison Fold Terrace, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 3EB |
0.75 miles |
|
Darwen, St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy
Knowlesly Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2JA |
0.89 miles |
|
Darwen St James CofE Primary Academy
St James Crescent, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0EY |
0.9 miles |
|
Avondale Primary School
Durham Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 1NN |
0.98 miles |
|
St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School
St Albans Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0HY |
1.32 miles |
|
St Edward's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Blackburn Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0AA |
1.6 miles |
|
Hoddlesden St Paul's Church of England Primary School
Hoddlesden St Paul's CE Primary School, Bayne Street, Hoddlesden, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 3NH |
1.66 miles |
|
Lower Darwen Primary School
Milking Lane, Lower Darwen, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0RB |
2.08 miles |
|
St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School
Rock Lane, Tockholes, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0LX |
2.16 miles |
|
St James' Church of England Primary School
Off Stopes Brow, Lower Darwen, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0QP |
2.41 miles |
|
Belthorn Academy Primary School
Belthorn Road, Belthorn, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2NY |
2.54 miles |
|
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Roman Catholic Primary School Blackburn
Holmbrook Close, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 3UG |
2.57 miles |
|
Blackburn the Redeemer CofE Primary
Jack Walker Way, Fernhurst Farm, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JJ |
2.59 miles |
|
Longshaw Infant School
Crosby Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 3NF |
2.74 miles |
|
Longshaw Nursery School
Crosby Road, Blackburn, BB2 3NF |
2.83 miles |
|
Longshaw Community Junior School
Park Lee Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 3NX |
3.1 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Darwen Aldridge Community Academy
Sudell Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 3HD |
0.42 miles |
|
Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio
Police Street, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 1AF |
0.5 miles |
|
Aurora Woodlands School
Woodlands, Holly Tree Close, Darwen, Lancashire, Lancashire, BB3 2NG |
0.69 miles |
|
Crosshill Special School
Salisbury Road, Darwen, BB3 1HZ |
1.07 miles |
|
Darwen Vale High School
Blackburn Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 0AL |
1.79 miles |
|
Lower Pastures
Broadhead Road, Hoddlesden, Nr Darwen, BB3 3QP |
2.53 miles |
|
Eden School
Heys Lane, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4NW |
2.56 miles |
|
Markazul Uloom
Park Lee Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 3NY |
3.15 miles |
|
Noorul Uloom
Park Lee Rd, Blackburn, BB2 3NY |
3.15 miles |
|
St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn
Green Lane, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4SR |
3.26 miles |
|
Newfield School
Old Bank Lane, Off Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2PW |
3.34 miles |
|
Blackburn Central High School
Haslingden Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 3HJ |
3.41 miles |
|
Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy
North Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 1PY |
3.68 miles |
|
Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School
Sumner Street, Blackburn, BB2 2LD |
3.74 miles |
|
Al Islah Girls' High School
108 Audley Range, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 1TF |
3.8 miles |
|
St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy
Duckworth Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 2JR |
3.83 miles |
|
Witton Park Academy
Buncer Lane, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 6TD |
4.02 miles |
|
Blackburn College
Blackburn College, Harrison Centre, Feilden Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 1LH |
4.15 miles |
|
Meadow View Learning Centre
150 Chorley Road, Withnell, Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 8BN |
4.38 miles |
|
Jamiatul-Ilm Wal-Huda UK School
30 Moss Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 5JT |
4.55 miles |